Hot, dry climate turns leaves early in upstate NY

One expert says this summer’s dry conditions are likely to result in a less colorful autumn for parts of upstate New York, where leaves already have begun turning in some areas.

One expert says this summer’s dry conditions are likely to result in a less colorful autumn for parts of upstate New York, where leaves already have begun turning in some areas.

The early transition comes with the official start of fall still more than three weeks away. Karl Niklas, a plant science professor at Cornell University, says the ongoing dry conditions will dim fall foliage.

New York has been experiencing one of the warmest and driest summers on record. While the dry conditions can cause trees to drop their leaves earlier than normal, another expert at Cornell says that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Plant Pathology Professor George Hudler tells the Ithaca Journal that when trees sense they don’t have enough water, they start to shed leaves.